Blood transfusion equipment



Oct. 8, 1957 w. F. BUTLER BLOOD TRANSFUSION EQUIPMENT Filed April 6,1955 R a 3 5 a n n .r I .lI/IIIIA I? n I 15 ii A770 NEYs A MEMBER '01-"THE F? United States Patent BLOOD TRANSFUSION EQUIPMENT William F.Butler, Oakland, Calif., assignor to Cutter Laboratories, Inc., acorporation of California Application April 6, 1955, Serial No. 499,698

6 Claims. (Cl. 128-272) This invention relates to blood transfusionequipment, particularly to an improved flexible container for thestorage and dispensing of blood.

While it was formerly the practice to effect a blood transfusiondirectly from the donor to the patient, of late years the indirectmethod has been more widely used. In this, a sample of blood from adonor is stored in a glass flask with an anti-coagulant solution untilit is desired to use the blood. Because of the fragility of glass, ithas been proposed to utilize flexible containers made of polyethylene,vinyl and like materials, having a transparency comparable to that ofglass but which are free of the undesirable fragility of glass. Theproblem of providing a suitable fluid outlet from such a flexiblecontainer is, however, one which has never been satisfactorily solved;it will be appreciated that it is desirable to provide a fluidconnection to such container for withdrawal of its contents and thatthis connection must be established and maintained without any loss offluid in the container and with a continuance of sterile conditions.

It is in general the broad object of the present invention to provide animproved flexible container, particu larly one in which an improvedoutlet from the container is provided, one enabling a fluid connectionto be established with the container for withdrawal of its contents in arelatively simple manner, particularly one which ensures preservation ofsterile conditions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel outletfrom a flexible container of the type described.

The invention includes other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, together with the foregoing, will appear hereinafter wherein thepresent preferred form of flexible container and particularly the outlettherefrom are disclosed. In the drawing accompanying and forming a parthereof,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a flexible container having the novel outletof the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section, taken through the fluidoutlet.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating displacement of the closuremeans provided.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of closure means whichcan be employed.

Figure 5 is a side elevation partly in section through a modified formof fluid outlet.

Referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part hereof, I haveindicated a flexible container generally at 6, this having a suitablesupporting element extending transversely of the top, this beingindicated at 7. A hook 8 is engaged with the top support 7 and enablesthe container to be supported suitably for use.

The container 6 includes a bottom end Wall 9 in which is mounted aninlet connection generally indicated at 11 and the outlet 12, whichforms a portion of the present invention.

Referring particularly to Figure 2, outlet 12 includes a tubular member14 having a flange 16 at one end thereof 2,808,829 Patented Oct. 8,'1957 and secured by heat sealing, solvent sealing, or the like, to theinside of bottom wall 9 of the container 6. Mounted slidably withintubular member 14 is a piston structure, generally indicated at 17, andcomprising a bottom portion 18 fitting the interior of the tube 14 witha sliding fit and being adjacent to the end wall 9, and a stem 19extending upwardly in the tubular member 14; the plug 17 also includes acentral indentation 21..

In use, the container having been filled with blood or the like, and itbeing desired to give a transfusion, the practice is to force a spike 22of a drip meter,:generally indicated at 23, through that portion of theend ,wall 9 which covers the plug 17, this area having been previouslysterilized and the end of the spike 22 being sterile; the end of thespike 22 is engaged with indentation 21 in the plug. Continued upwardforcing movement by the spike 22 forces the plug 17 up the tube andbrings the spike into engagement with the side wall of the tube 14. Stem19 serves as a guide whereby the plug does not tip over if a transverseforce is exerted accidentally with the spike 22. By the time the plug isready to move out of the end of tube 14, the side walls of the spike 22are firmly in engagement with the side walls of the tube 14 whereby afluid-tight connection is maintained, and leakage of fluid does notoccur between the spike and tube 14.

In the modified form of device shown in Figure 5, an aperture 31 isprovided in the bottom end wall 9 of the container 6. A tubularextension 32 is provided exteriorally of the container, being mountedover the aperture 31 by a flange 34 suitably secured on the exterior ofthe end wall 9. The end of the tubular extension 32 is closed as by anintegral frangible wall or diaphragm 33. A plug 17, having the formshown in'Figures 2 and 3, is mounted in the tubular extension 32.

In use, the frangible closure 33 is punctured by the end of spike 22which then enters the tubular extension 32 to force the plug 17upwardly, the plug emerging from the tubular extension 32 only when thespike 22 is securely engaged with the end of the tubular extension-32.

It is generally desirable, I have found, to relieve the upper end of theplug 17 so that the frictional force required to move the plug throughthe tube 14 is not too great. This can be achieved in various ways and,for example, in Figure 4 I have shown a suitable plug structure 25having a plurality of tube engaging flanges 24 thereon, joined togetherby an interconnecting column 26.

From the foregoing, I believe it will be apparent that I have provided anovel and simple and yet quite effective outlet structure for a flexiblecontainer utilized for blood and the like.

I claim:

1. 'A container for the dispensing of a sterile fluid comprising aflexible sealed bag having a tubular member mounted therein with one endof the member mounted on a bag Wall with the member projecting into thebag, and a closure mounted slidably in the tubular member adjacent tosaid one end of the member and adapted to slide through and out of thetubular member to permit fluid to flow through the tubular member.

2. A container for the dispensing of a sterile fluid comprising aflexible sealed bag having a tubular member mounted therein with one endof the member mounted on a bag wall with the member projecting into thebag, and a flexible plunger closure mounted slidably in the tubularmember adjacent to said one end of the member and adapted to slidethrough and out of the tubular memher to permit fluid to flow throughthe tubular member.

3. In combination, a flexible fluid container, a fluid conduit having atubular spike of conical form at one end thereof, a tubular membermounted on a wall of the container and adapted to receive thetubularrspike in fluidtight engagement upon insertion of the spike intothe tubular member to-establish'aunitary fluid conduit fromthecontainer, and a closure mounted in the tubular member and adapted to bemoved therein upon insertion of the spike to permitfluidfl'owfromthe-container' into the" spike.

4; In combination, aflexiblefluid containen-nfiuidconduithaving atubular spikeof conical form' at one end thereof, atu'b'ular membermounted on a wallof the con-- tainer and adapted to be moved thereinupon insertion: of the spike to'pcrmit'fiuid flow from the containerinto the spike.

5. A container for the'dispensing ofn sterile fluid'comprising aflexible sealed bagghavi'ng v a tubular. member mounted on a. bag wall,and a closuremounted slidably:

. 4i, in the tubular member adjacent to one end of the memher andadapted to be moved" in" thetubular member to permit fluid to flow intoand through the tubular memher from the bag.

6. A container for the dispensing of a sterile fluid comprising aflexible sealed bag having a tubular member mounted therein with oneendof. the member mounted on a bag wall, and a flexible plunger closuremounted slidably in the tubularrmember adjacentlto said one: endof thememher and adapted to slide through and out of the tubular member topermit" fluid to flow. into and through the tubular member from the bag.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,538,391 Smith Ian. 16, 1951 2,659,370 Smith Nov. 17, 1953 FOREIGNPATENTS 131,856 Germany June,-2,8, 1902

